Who Was (Is?) Dave Rabbit? - Horror
by: J. William Snyder, jr.
(c) Will Snyder
Who Was (Is?) Dave Rabbit?
According to legend, Dave Rabbit (or possibly Dave Rabbitt) was an Air
Force sergeant who remained in South Vietnam for about a year after his one
year hitch to blast "Hard Acid Rock Music To Blow [People's] Mind[s] With"
and fuel the Vietnam counterculture that coarsed through the ranks of
disenchanted U.S. service men and women in the later years of the Vietnam War.
Beyond that, not much is known about the elusive and charismatic Dave Rabbit
who still had legions of followers some thirty years after his reign.
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Many visitors to this page over the years have written me either to
inquire about who Dave was or is, or to suggest who he might be.
Unfortunately, to date, no one has been able to identify Dave's true identity.
However, several candidates have been suggested:
- Rabbett (a.k.a. Roger Abbett) of
Internet Radio Hawaii.
I emailed Mr. Abbett and asked him if he was Dave Rabbit, and he replied
that he was not. Also, according to his resume, he was in college from 1971
to 1977, thus making it highly unlikely that was also in
Vietnam at the same time.
- Art Bell: It has also been suggested
syndicated radio host and government conspiracy theorist is Dave Rabbit.
Indeed, he has some pirate radio experience in his past. According to his
personal history, he and a
sidekick ran a pirate radio station on Amarillo Air Force
base where he was stationed. He certainly has the personality to have been
Dave Rabbit, However, Amarillo is a long way from Tan San Nhut AFB, so I
doubt that he is Dave. I dropped an email to the address on his web site
asking if he is Dave, but he never replied.
- Pat Sajak, the Vietnam-era in-country DJ and long-time host of TV's Wheel of Fortune has been rumored to be Dave. I have not explored this possibility,
but I also doubt he would be Dave Rabbit because of his notoriety in legitimate
radio broadcasting during the war.
This is the extent of my information on who Dave is or might be.
In all likelihood, Dave is to remain forever anonymous and will continue to be
the subject of legends and speculation.
If you have any information on who Dave might be, please contact Mark Matthews, who is the "Designated Dave Hunter."
copyright Will Snyder (jwsnyder@metalab.unc.edu)
Last updated: June 30, 2002
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